Gate-latch



N0. 6|9,-7 72. Patented Feb. 2!, I899. J. F. MARTIN.

GATE LATCH.

(Applicatibn filed Sept. 15, 1898.)

(No Model.)

llllllllllllllllll ll allli iiiiii' llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll II E FERN-111ml NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES FRANKLIN MARTIN, OF STANFORD, KENTUCKY.

GATE-LATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 619,772, dated February 21, 1899.

Application filed September 15, 1898. Serial No. 691,036. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES FRANKLIN MAR- TIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Stanford, in the county of Lincoln and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Gate-Latch, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates generally to gatelatches, the object being to provide a latch which will be cheap and simple in construction and thoroughly efiicient and reliable in operation. 1

Another object of the invention is to provide a gate-latch, the fastening or securing of which will be accomplished from two points, thereby insuring safety in the fastening.

Another object of the invention is to provide a gate-latch which can be so arranged as to raise the end of the gate in the act of fastening, if so desired.

With these objects in view my invention consists, essentially, of a gate-latch carrying a toothed wheel, a locking-bolt extending through the toothed wheel, and a toothed keeper adapted for engagement with both the toothed wheel and bolt, thereby insuring a locking at two points.

The invention consists also in providing a catch or pawl adapted for engagement with the toothed wheel, whereby the said toothed wheel is locked or unlocked, as desired; and the invention also consists in providing means for connecting the catch or pawl with the bolt, so that as said bolt is thrown in or out the catch is made to engage the toothed wheel.

The invention consists also in certain details of construction and novelties of combination, all of which will be fully described hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a View showing in perspective the various parts of my invention arranged in the positions they are intended to occupy when placed upon a gate and gatepost. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken through the center of the latch, the bolt being shown in full lines and a portion of the keeper in elevation. Fig.3 is a vertical section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

In carrying out my invention I employ a base-plate A, which is intended to be secured to the end batten of the gate, and this plate may be of any required size and shape, and at the forward end is constructed with a boss A and a ring A while at the rear end a guard or handhold A is projected rearwardly. A barrel B is passed through the ring A and rests beneath the boss A, said barrel being secured to the base-plate by means of the ring A and a staple B, passed around said barrel near the rear end and connected in a suitable manner to the base-plate. The forward end of the barrel B is constructed with an annular shoulder or collar B which serves to retain the toothed wheel 0 upon the end of said barrel which projects beyond the base-plate, the hub C of said wheel being held between the collar B and the ring A as clearly shown in Fig. 2. A latch-bolt D slides in the barrel B, the rear end being opened and the bolt projected through said opened end in order to permit of the attachment of an elbow-lever E to the rear end of the said bolt, said elbow-lever being pivoted to the baseplate at E and having the handle portion E extended rearwardly and adapted to rest over or upon the rearward extension guide or handhold A said handle, however, projecting somewhat beyond the end of said guide in order that the said handle may be quickly and easily grasped and raised in order to throw the bolt rearwardly, said operation being accomplished by simply raising the handle E which immediately trips the elbow-lever upon its pivot, and thereby draws the bolt backward. The upper portion of the barrel is slotted to permit the operation of a lug D, carried upon the bolt and either integral therewith or attached in any suitable manner, said lug being adapted for engagement with a catch-pawl F, pivoted upon the boss A and adapted to engage the internal teeth 0 of the toothed wheel 0, while the external teeth 0 are adapted to engage with a rackbar G, forming part of the latch or keeper, said rack-bar being extended, as shown at G, and brought back above the bar G and parallel therewith, as shown at G in order to act as a guard or guide for projecting the toothed wheel into engagement with the toothed bar, and another toothed bar G extends from the bowed portion G about midway between the toothed bar and the guide and has its teeth arranged vertically,in contradistinction to the horizontal teeth of the bar G, and these teeth are intended for engagement with the beveled end of the locking-bolt, it being clear that as the gate is closed the toothed wheel will ride upon the lower rack-bar G, while the beveled end of the bolt will ride upon the teeth of the rack-bar G and as the bolt is worked back and forth by passing into and out of the teeth the lug D, engaging the catchpawl F, will alternately throw the said pawl into or out of engagement with the internal teeth of the toothed wheel, thereby looking or releasing the said wheel, so that so long as the bolt is disengaged from the bar G the wheel can revolve in either direction, and it will be noticed that the wheel can always revolve in a direction which will project it toward the bowedportion G, or, in other words, the toothed wheel can always operate to latch the gate and likewise the bolt; but in order to unlatch the gate it will be necessary to raise the handle of the lever, which will cause the bolt to be withdrawn and the pawl-catch to be thrown down, thereby releasing both the bolt and the wheel.

It will thus be seen that I provide an exceedingly cheap and simple construction of gate-latch which will latch the gate from two points of contactnamely, the engagement of the bolt with the bar G and that of the toothed wheel with the toothed bar G, the catch-pawl, of course, being necessary in both instances to hold both the bolt and the toothed wheel in a fixed position. The keeper, comprising horizontal and vertical toothed bars and the upper guide-arm, is provided with suitable ears or lugs G for attachment to the gate-post, and by arranging the keeper at a slight angle, so that the bowed portion is higher than the opening, the end of the gate can be raised in the latching operation, thereby elevating the sagging end of the gate, and, furthermore, by arranging the keeper at a slight inclination the toothed wheel will immediately roll down the incline the moment it is released, thereby tending to make the opening of the gate automatic.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a gate-latch, the combination with a toothed bar attached to a gate-post, a sliding bolt mounted upon the gate and adapted to engage said bar, a second toothed bar also attached to the gate-post, and a toothed wheel adapted to turn about the bolt and engage the said second bar, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a gate-latch, the combination with a toothed bar attached to a gate-post, a sliding bolt mounted upon the gate and adapted to engage said bar, a second toothed bar also attached to the gate-post, a toothed wheel adapted to turn about the bolt and engage the said second bar, and means for locking and unlocking the said bolt and wheel, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a gate-latch, a sliding bolt mounted upon a gate, an internally and externally toothed wheel turning about the end of said bolt, a pawl engaging the bolt and wheel, and a keeper adapted for attachment to the post, and provided with toothed bars for the engagement of the bolt and toothed wheel, substantially as shown and described.

4. A gate-latch comprising a base-plate carrying a barrel, an internally and externally toothed wheel mounted upon the forward end of said barrel and projecting through said wheel, a hand-lever pivoted to the plate and adapted to operate the bolt, a pawl pivoted to the plate and adapted to engage the toothed wheel and a lug on the bolt, and a keeper comprising a horizontal toothed bar for the toothed wheel, a vertical toothed bar for the bolt, and a guide-bar or guard to guide the wheel into contact with the bar, substantially as and for the purpose described.

JAMES FRANKLIN MARTIN.

Witnesses:

A. A. MCKINNEY, J. S. IIooKnR. 

